Overtime thoughts

Death, Taxes, and Mitch Marner dominating Detroit. Something about the Iconic Red Wings logo gets Marner going like nothing else in the NHL. Coming off Christmas break, it’s hard to know what kind of team will come out in the first period, but the Leafs looked well-rested, scoring three in the first frame.

We tend to see a different Marner when his linemate, Auston Matthews, is out of the lineup due to injury, which is the case at the moment, and this game was no exception, as he looked like the best player on the ice for both teams every shift. He scored his third career hat trick, which of course is his second against the Red Wings, dating back to February 26, 2022, when he scored four goals and two assists in a wild 10-7 win. Certain star players can raise their level of play when the number one option on their team is out of the lineup, such as Evgeni Malkin when Sidney Crosby is injured, or Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both stepping up for their team when either was out of the lineup. Mitch Marner is starting to be one of those guys.

Every team needs depth scoring to have any chance of raising Lord Stanley, and finally, David Kampf, the fourth-line centerman, scored his first of the year, taking the monkey off his back. The Leafs play again tonight against the Washington Capitals and their Captain Alex Ovechkin, who is set to play his first game back after missing the last 16 with a fractured Fibula. I am rooting hard for Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, but just like Matt Murray, who is starting his second game of the season in net for the Leafs, I just hope he does not get closer to breaking the record tonight.